AI agents, IRL socializing, and vibe coding: Where top consumer investors are placing bets

Investors Niko Bonatsos (Verdict Capital), Marina Girgis (Precursor Ventures), and Amy Wu Martin (Menlo Ventures) are backing social startups in the AI era. Kimberly White/Getty Images; Courtesy of Precursor Ventures; Courtesy of Menlo Ventures Investors are hunting for social media startups that can spark new connections and nurture existing ones."Social media companies started based on connection," Shawn Carolan, a partner at Menlo Ventures, said of the previous wave of giants like Facebook and Instagram.Carolan said these companies "evolved into media companies" and abandoned that connection.That leaves an opening in the market.Venture capitalists at major firms like Menlo, Forerunner, and A16z have several investors dedicated to backing new and innovative internet startups. Other firms, like Verdict Capital and Premise, were founded by partners at firms like General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and NEA, who wanted to set out on their own with investment theses focused on backing consumer-facing startups building for the AI era.Niko Bonatsos, cofounder and managing director of Verdict Capital, said that AI is allowing startup founders to "reimagine entire categories" and build "so much faster."Business Insider recently highlighted 22 VC firms backing social startups in our third annual list. They've invested in startups in broader categories such as social media, AI assistants, and dating apps. So, where exactly are these top investors placing bets?Here are 5 categories investors are betting on:1. Vibe coding — but make it socialKids and teens are "vibe coding apps," Vanessa Larco, cofounder of Premise, told Business Insider.She's one of several investors closely watching how vibe coding is being adopted by younger internet users.Startups like Wabi and Sekai — which are building platforms where people can vibe code mini apps, then share and remix them — have raised millions of dollars from firms like Khosla, A16z, and Connect Ventures."People don't want to just watch anymore. They want to create," Connect Ventures' Nicole Quinn said, who invested in Sekai. Sekai lets people make mini apps by vibe coding. Screenshot/Apple App Store/Sekai Gaming is another opportunity in this category, with tools like Lemonade (an AI agent for creating Roblox mini-games) and ForgeGUI (an AI-powered game design tool for developers) receiving investments from Menlo Ventures and Verdict Capital, respectively.As Menlo's Amy Wu Martin put it: When the barriers to coding go down, consumers have the realization — "I can make stuff for myself."It's shifting digital culture, too. Creators who make content about vibe coding or vibe code new apps themselves are emerging."Apps are going to be the new media," Patron's Amber Atherton said.2. New ways to find loveFor these VCs, there's love in the air.A new class of dating apps is challenging the mainstays like Tinder and Bumble. The AI dating app Overtone comes from an icon of the old guard: Hinge founder Justin McLeod. FirstMark's Rick Heitzmann contributed to the company's $18 million raise."Probably a year ago, someone would've said 'dating,' I would've been like, 'Ugh, it's a horrible category,'" Heitzmann said. "But then you meet somebody who's thought about the world completely differently, more originally, and better than you have, and it changes your mind."Many of these startups promise that AI will help ease the awkwardness of dating, either through custom matchmaking or wingman-style assistants. The AI app Sitch is backed by A16z Speedrun and Premise. Its cofounder, Chad DePue, is an investor for Uncommon Projects.There's also Known, an AI dating service with audio matchmakers, backed by Forerunner Ventures.Other apps promise users a better dating pool or matching strategy, like the Seven Seven Six-backed Left Field, which pairs based on shared interests and communities.3. Social apps that get you outside instead of onlineThere is a bounty of new social startups with the sole purpose of getting people off their screens."People are kind of feeling exhausted and maybe a little bit nervous about AI," Precursor's Marina Girgis said. "They want to put their phones down and connect with people IRL."Abstract Ventures, for instance, backed two social apps built around maps: Corner, for finding and sharing local spots, and Amo, a French app studio behind Bump, which lets you track friends. Corner is a social map for saving and sharing local spots. Corner; Apple App Store Meanwhile, Posh, a platform for IRL events and ticketing, announced a $37 million Series B round led by FirstMark Capital in March.There are more niche apps for activities, too, like Sweatpals for fitness and wellness, and Swsh for sharing content at live events like music festivals or sporting events."As we all lean into AI and we're more efficient with the productivity gains of AI, human beings will have more disposable time," Quinn said. "How do they like to spend disposable time? It's doing what they love."4. AI companions and personal assistants to help you connectWhat if AI agents could actually make our social lives a little bit easier? It's a big question — and it's still heavy on the if — but some investors are placing early bets on this space.Town, an AI personal assistant for managing inboxes and calendars, announced a $55 million Series A in June. Both A16z and Forerunner participated in the round.While Town is currently focused on professionals, there are assistant startups for families, too, like Ollie, which helps parents manage household tasks.If people start to use these AI assistants and companions more and give these tools access to troves of personal data, there could be some unique social applications."Someone's going to build this kind of god-like companion that knows everyone and is omnipresent," Shine Capital's Ethan Daly said.Menlo Ventures' Carolan said he's fascinated by AI-era startups reinventing "the contacts book" to help people connect.Babylon's Hugo Amsellem sees potential in AI acting as an intermediary between people. He invested in Eigen, a startup that announced $15 million in seed funding this year for an AI "mutual friend."The space is still quite nascent, however.5. Entertainment with an AI twistFrom music to gaming, entertainment platforms are getting supercharged by AI.For example, Suno, a platform for making and sharing AI-generated music, has raised hundreds of millions of dollars and announced it was valued at $5.4 billion in June. Menlo Ventures led the company's Series C in 2025. Suno is an AI music generation platform. Screenshot/Apple App Store/Suno There's also Lore, a fandom platform powered by AI search, which provides people a new way to "rabbit hole" about their latest pop culture obsessions, "instead of just doing it in Google," said Precursor's Girgis.Then there are new social gaming apps like Status, an AI mobile gaming startup that lets people role-play as characters, backed by Abstract Ventures and Creator Ventures.Building a new social app? Have a tip? Contact Sydney Bradley by email (sbradley@businessinsider.com), encrypted messaging app Signal (@sydneykbradley.123), or encrypted email (sydneykbradley@proton.me). Read next Sydney Bradley has been covering media and tech for Business Insider since 2020. She breaks news and writes extensively about Instagram and Facebook, as well as new social media startups, dating apps, the creator economy, venture capital, and tech culture.She regularly contributes to BI's "After Hours" series, where our reporters dive into the social scenes shaping tech, media, and finance.Sydney's reporting on Instagram was nominated as a finalist for the 2021 Los Angeles Press Club National Entertainment Journalism Awards.She graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in American Studies. You can follow Sydney's work on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram at @sydneykbradley.Have a tip? You can also contact her via encrypted messaging app Signal (@sydneykbradley.123), encrypted email (sydneykbradley@proton.me), or standard email (sbradley@businessinsider.com). Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.Selected stories:Young founders are going viral modeDeath isn't the end: Meta patented an AI that lets you keep posting from beyond the graveDating apps are betting millions that AI will convince you to fall back in love with themHitting the social media jackpot is harder than ever — and it's changing the creator economyBig Tech's AI obsession is rattling creatorsNew startups race to bring back the 'old internet' vibes of the 2000sThe mysterious demise of a $1 billion social shopping appThe loneliness epidemic has given rise to a new crop of startups aiming to help people connect in real lifeIt's not just you — no one is posting on social media anymoreHow Instagram's unpredictable changes are giving influencers whiplashWhy YouTube subscriber counts have become an unreliable 'vanity metric' in the era of short videoInside the week that changed Facebook forever Geoff Weiss is a senior reporter on Business Insider’s tech team, where he writes about AI startups and Y Combinator, the intersection of AI and the media industry, and workplace dynamics within top AI labs and chip companies.Previously, Geoff was on the media desk, covering YouTube and Netflix, and themes like the intersection of Hollywood and the creator economy. His work on Netflix’s video podcasting ambitions and Mr Beast’s lessons for Hollywood won second and first prize, respectively, at the 2025 LA Press Club Awards.Prior to joining Business Insider, Geoff was the senior editor of Tubefilter and a staff writer at Entrepreneur. He graduated from New York University with a degree in English Literature.He can be reached at gweiss@businessinsider.com, on Signal @geoffweiss.25, and on LinkedIn. Have a tip? Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.Selected stories:Nvidia crushed its quarter — and CEO Jensen Huang said in a leaked all-hands that 'the market did not appreciate it'Nvidia will foot the bill for Trump's new visa fees. Here's what CEO Jensen Huang told staff.Massive AI salaries and RTO are fueling a real estate boom in San Francisco: 'It's going to rain money'The AI talent wars are ricocheting across startups. Here's how they're competing with Big Tech. 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